After the wine was poured, Zhao Chunfang stared blankly at the candle with her hands behind her back. Zhao Di was on the phone. He Zhou saw that the two of them were not eating, so he unconsciously put down the chopsticks in his hand.
An incense burner was placed on the chopping board table in the living room. Two joss sticks were placed on both sides of the table, and their flames were swaying gently.
This year, the snow was heavy and the wind was strong. It was colder than the previous years.
The joss sticks and candles were on the verge of collapsing. If they were not careful, they would be blown out by the wind blowing in from outside.
They couldn't close the door for New Year's Eve dinner.
Zhao Chunfang was still worried, so she went into the house in the front yard to find two lampshades and put them on the candles.
The candlelight was steady, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Zhao Di had already hung up.
He smiled and said, "Let's eat. Don't just stand there."
Zhao Chunfang said, "Let's eat."
Only then did He Zhou start to move his chopsticks. As he ate, he raised his glass to his grandmother and mother.
Just as he was engrossed in eating, a pair of chopsticks appeared in front of him, and the pig's tongue fell into his bowl.
"Eat one. You'll make a profit next year," Zhao Chunfang said with a smile.
He Zhou put it in his mouth and said while chewing, "Thank you, Grandma."
Due to the absence of Grandpa and his unpopular uncle, their family's reunion dinner was much quieter than usual.
When he ate, he also felt very bland.
After finishing a cup of wine, he did not drink any more. He filled a bowl with rice, ate half of it, and left the other half as a "storehouse".
Just as he was about to get up, Zhao Chunfang stopped him again.
He saw his grandmother handing him a stack of money.
"Thank you, Grandma." He smiled and took the money.
With a casual pinch, he estimated that it was around a thousand yuan. This was the largest amount of red packet money he had ever received from his grandmother.
If it was in the past, he would have been extremely excited.
But now, he was not short of money.
His heart was already calm.
Carrying the teacup, he first went to Second Grandma's house.
"Second Granny, I'm here to bid you farewell," He Zhou shouted before he even entered the door. He was trying his best to lighten the oppressive atmosphere in the air.
"Okay, come in." The old lady was adding firewood under the stove.
Seeing that she was about to get up, He Zhou hurriedly stopped her and said, "There's no need to hurry. I can do it myself."
He grabbed a handful of melon seeds and candies from the dustpan next to him and stuffed them into his pocket.
The old lady said, "Then catch it yourself. Don't stand on ceremony."
He Zhou said, "You haven't set off the firecrackers yet, right? Where is it? I'll play it for you. "
He didn't see any firecrackers at the door.
The old lady said, "In the inner room."
He Zhou was one step ahead of her. He ran into the inner room, found the firecrackers on a pile of woven rice bags, and took them outside.
The old lady opened the pack of cigarettes and handed one to He Zhou. He Zhou smiled and lit it up, then said, "Stay away and cover your ears."
The old lady hurriedly trotted into the house, much more nimble than before.
After He Zhou ordered the dishes, he dashed into the house and helped the old lady carry the dishes into the living room.
The table was full of dishes. The old lady sat at the head of the table, and he sat at the bottom.
This had been the norm for the past two years.
Ever since He Weibao passed away, the old lady was not willing to celebrate the New Year with anyone, including her own daughter, He Manrong's family. She was not willing to go, let alone Zhao Chunfang's family, which was incompatible with each other.
She had a son, so she couldn't go somewhere else to celebrate the Spring Festival. Only "old people" needed warmth from others.
He Zhou took out a bottle of white wine from the corner of the staircase. After opening it, he slowly poured the wine for the old lady while watching her expression. As soon as the old lady gave him a signal, he would stop immediately.
The old lady didn't say a word until he filled the bottle.
"Second Grandma, your alcohol tolerance has increased."
"Don't smoke so much." After the old lady scolded him, she felt that it was inappropriate. It was not a good sign to not scold or hit children during the Spring Festival. She smiled and said, "Smoking is not good for your health. Fill it up too."
"Of course." He Zhou filled up his glass. He estimated that it was another two bottles of wine.
The old and the young chatted and laughed as they toasted each other.
Halfway through the meal, two figures appeared at the door. The dog at the door didn't bark, so they must be acquaintances.
Then he heard his mother's voice.
"Auntie, I'm here to bid you farewell."
What surprised He Zhou was that behind his mother was his grandmother.
His maternal grandmother and his second maternal grandmother were lifelong enemies. In his memory, the number of times his maternal grandmother had stepped into his second maternal grandmother's house could be counted on one hand.
Zhao Chunfang put her hands behind her back. After entering, she looked at the table and the ceiling.
He Weibao's wife forced a smile and said, "Sit, sit."
She quickly brought melon seeds and candy to Zhao Chunfang.
"The food is not bad." Zhao Chunfang grabbed a handful of melon seeds and threw one into her mouth. She didn't seem to move, but the melon seed shell fell accurately into the trash can by the door.
He Weibao's wife smiled and said, "If you don't think it's ugly, sit down and eat."
Zhao Chunfang sat on the top left of her daughter's seat and took a glass for herself.
He Zhou put down the white wine in his hand and ran back to the stairwell to look for red wine. His second grandmother's house didn't lack it either. It was all given by his mother. Usually, when no one drank it, it would be piled up there.
Occasionally, his second grandmother's daughter, He Manrong, would take two or three bottles.
When he came out with a bottle of red wine, his mother and grandmother's glasses were already filled with red wine.
Zhao Chunfang glanced at the red wine in He Zhou's hand and said, "That stuff is like hogwash. Who would want to drink it?"
He Zhou didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
His grandmother was a bit pretentious. With her small alcohol tolerance, she would sleep for an entire day after drinking one or two bottles. She was just carrying a small stool to their door to scold them.
He was a little flustered. It was not easy to get drunk.
He Weibao narrowed his eyes calmly and clinked glasses with Zhao Chunfang. This was the second time in their lives that the two sisters-in-law clinked glasses. The first time was when she had just entered the house.
She couldn't tell if he was a friend or foe. It was the New Year, and it wasn't good to have a falling out. She had to deal with it first.
Zhao Chunfang didn't make a sound. She looked at the bottom of his glass and took a big gulp, as if she didn't want to show weakness.
She drank as much as he drank.
He Zhou ate and drank by himself. He decided not to get involved. He couldn't afford to offend either of them. Anyway, his mother was here. If things went south, he could just leave.
Zhao Chunfang said, "I only came to have a drink with you because I pitied you."
Zhao Di frowned and laughed bitterly.
This old lady's words are really unpleasant to hear.
He Weibao's wife smiled and said, "Yeah, I wanted you to have a drink with me last year."
Last year, He Laoxi was still alive.
When He Laoxi was alive, you, Zhao Chunfang, didn't come. This year, He Laoxi was gone, but you came.
Who was more afraid of loneliness?
Who was more pitiful?
Zhao Chunfang was very unhappy. This sister-in-law was still trying to embarrass her and make things difficult for her.
She was already giving her a lot of face by stepping through the door.
Seeing that she was about to lose her temper, Zhao Di hurriedly said, "Our He family is a small family. If we don't get together, we'll be a laughing stock. Let's celebrate the New Year together. It'll be nice both inside and outside."
./1_
.。 m.
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
